Greetings from NC (long sorry)

I've been wanting my own small business and considered a number of things. I used to do some light landscaping in Mass along with plowing. I never did much with the landscaping part. It was just a few yards and fall clean ups. Stuff like that.

This week I picked up a yard in my neighborhood. The customer went on a neighborhood forum site asking for somebody who could cut, trim and blow. Well, I can do that and do a nice job. His yard is not very big. Small front yard and one small side yard. I quoted $35 and he agreed and wants service every 10 days and I cut down to 3". It takes about 15-20 mins with my 21" and that includes clean up without rushing. I don't know if he had high expectations for me or not, but he expressed how satisfied he was and how great it looked. The guy he had before me was there for 4 years and he just didn't have the time for the work anymore.

My equipment as of now is a Troy-bilt 21" self propelled, gas trimmer and blower. Yes, it is Joe home owner stuff and I don't blame you for rolling your eyes. I'm haunting craigslist for a decent commercial walk behind. I need a bigger mower for my own yard anyway. I do not want to go take out loans on new equipment. Debt means risk and can add desperation to take on work. Right now I'm not depserate and can go forward with some feeling of relaxation. Then what happens if I don't make it or decide I don't like it? Not having debt means I can be a little more picky on the jobs.

I'm hoping to gain customers like I did with plowing driveways. Mostly referals or neighbors walking over to inquire while I'm working. Flyers and craigslist can work ok, but I think some people may just ignore those and I'd just get lost in the mix. I do not have the knowledge to offer any fertilizing or seeding right now. It's cut, trim and blow.

I don't have a company name or any landscaping GL insurance right now. I'll admit that right off the bat, but I am aware of the need for it. I haven't come up with any kind of written agreement yet. I'm willing to grow slow and be patient. Hopefully nobody sees me as a hack at this point. I will not be a $10 or $15 dollar a cut guy! I am expecting some jabs from Grandview or Gold Pro.

My county has a DBA registration for about $25, so that's not bad. I'm going to call my ins agent and see what a simple GL policy will cost. I know $2mill is awesome, but I wonder if I can just start with a 1/4 mill or 1/2 mill while I'm still a fledgling. I already have a commercial policy on my truck for the plowing.

I need to re-learn about doing taxes and all that paper crap. That's the part I hate the most as I'm sure it is for most. I've always been paid COD. I've never sent bills before, but maybe that part can wait a while.

Hi There, I saw that you mentioned you have done fliers in the past.. but your worried about them being mixed with other stuff... I don't know if you have seen our website or our specials at all but A'Deas Printing has some really neat door hangers and other products that use the band-it and stick-it products.. they are something a little different so it catches the eye of the customer.. they also stay put on the door instead of blowing off.. a cool feature to have is the stick-it.. the customer can keep the door hanger and stick it to the fridge, file cabinet, etc.. and keep your info handy instead of laying it down with other papers to get mixed up with... We have a new door hanger that is a bit smaller and has a perforated business card at the bottom.. you would use the band-it to distribute door to door and then there is stick-it on the back of the business card so the customer can keep your card and stick that to the fridge instead of the larger size door hangers... I know we have a few specials right now for our door hangers and they include some design assistance as well if that is something that is needed... If you'd like more info or want to talk about any pricing feel free to call or email me. My name is Glenda and my email is glenda@adeasprinting.com and my number is 1-866-778-4254